Epilogue
Epilogue
Cash Grantham opened his eyes, fully alert and awake. That quick snap to awareness had been baked in early and well, thanks to a childhood that had included fists and feet and daily reminders of exactly how much his existence had fucked up his mother’s life. The Army had honed that edge still more, forging the skills he’d learned to survive into weapons. But he wasn’t in the Army anymore, and he was eons away from childhood. A very tangible reminder of that fact lay sprawled in the bed beside him.
Hadley slept in a half-starfish position, turned away from him. A strip of early morning light snuck through a crack in the curtains to highlight her gorgeously toned back and the profusion of color inked into her skin in the form of a phoenix spreading its wings across her shoulders, the long plumes of its flaming tail streaming down her spine to wrap around her right hip. He knew every line of that tattoo and all of her others. Had traced them with his mouth, tasted all the secrets they hid. She held many, and he considered it a privilege that he’d been granted access.
His fingers itched to stroke down that spine, to tease her to waking. She’d be more than willing to start the day with another round of the mind-blowing sex they’d been having for the past six months. It was, by far, his favorite way to start the day. But he could no longer feel good about it. Because he was keeping this secret from one of his best friends. They were sneaking around, and Cash hated that.
It had seemed like a perfectly fine idea in the beginning. They’d thought they were scratching an itch. That the passion would burn bright for a few weeks, and they’d get each other out of their systems, satisfy a curiosity that had been lingering for longer than either of them cared to admit. But that wasn’t what had happened.
He’d gone and fallen in love with his best friend’s little sister, and he was tired of hiding everything.
Careful not to disturb her, he slipped out of bed and tugged on some sweatpants.
In his office, he stabbed a button on the espresso machine he’d paid a small fortune for. Good caffeine was worth its weight in gold, in his opinion. As the coffee brewed, he settled into what Hadley had dubbed his cockpit. The six stacked monitors wrapped around the crescent-shaped desk, giving him views into all the different aspects of his business. Normally, he’d fall instantly into the work, checking on the status of his myriad of projects. But the code didn’t call to him this morning.
Instead, he picked up his cup of espresso and turned his gaming chair away from the screens to stare out the wide windows of his penthouse loft, mulling over what to do. He was a man who understood the concept of course correction. It wasn’t too late to go back and do this the right way. Not that a guy like him, who’d grown up the way he had, had a lot of first-hand experience with observing the right way to do anything. But he knew that sneaking around and hiding this from his best friend was not it.
Cash had spent his life searching for legitimacy. A bastard son, who’d been told every day of his life that he was a burden, a problem, worth less than nothing, he’d ridden on the high octane of spite and fuck-you to make something of himself. He’d saved lives. Helped stop wars. He’d broken countless rules in the name of protecting other people, and he’d built an extremely successful business from the ground up. He no longer had a problem knowing his worth. He only hoped he’d done enough that Holt would believe he was good enough for Hadley.
A whisper of footsteps had him turning.
Hadley shuffled across the floor with bare feet. She’d snagged one of his shirts, buttoning it so that it covered the essentials, but left those long, lovely legs exposed. Her purple-streaked brown hair was mussed, and her eyes were heavy with sleep. She was sexy as hell, and just the sight of her had him stirring.
“I woke up, and you weren’t there.” The rasp of her voice held a hint of accusation.
“I figured you needed the rest.” God knew, they hadn’t gotten to sleep until well past midnight.
“Maybe, but you know how I like to start the day.” She hooked a hand behind his neck, skimming her nails down his nape in a move that had both his dick and the hair on his arms coming erect.
Not missing that fact, her lips curved in an impish smile. She stepped close, moving to straddle him where he sat.
Cash hurried to set the coffee aside and gripped her hips, holding her off.
She blinked, confusion swirling in those pretty gray eyes. “Is something wrong?”
Knowing this was going to go over like a lead balloon, Cash braced himself. “We can’t do this.”
He watched the shutters go down and hated it.
She stepped back. “Excuse me?”
“I need to take a break.”
“A break. I didn’t realize your name was Ross Geller.”
He couldn’t quite stop the smile because he could see her temper kindling. “I don’t want to stop doing this. I just want to do it the right way. We have to stop hiding from your brother.”
That temper ratcheted up another notch. “Who I’m sleeping with is none of Holt’s business.”
“Had, he’s one of my best friends. He trusts me. He’s gonna see this as a betrayal.”
“Only if he finds out about it.”
Deciding to take another tack, he angled his head. “Do you want to stop this?”
“No.”
“So you’d be content to sneak around for the rest of who knows how long?”
The question actually set her back a step. She dropped onto the edge of the desk. “Well, no. But?—”
Cash held up a hand. “I think we need to table this until I can talk to Holt. I need to square things with him before we continue.”
A muscle jumped in her jaw. “So let me get this straight. You’re breaking up with me until you can get my brother’s permission?”
“I’m putting things on pause until he can be informed.”
On a scoffing noise, she whirled away. “Sounds like the same difference to me. I’m not someone’s property, Cash. I am my own person, who makes my own decisions.”
She didn’t understand. How could she? He’d been another brother to her growing up. Someone who’d looked out for her and bailed her out of an array of youthful indiscretions. That was still who he was, as far as Holt knew. If this just got sprung on him, he was going to lose his shit. Hadley was his only family, other than his new wife and daughter.
“This is not about permission. You have every right to make your own choices. But I have the right to do what I think is necessary to protect my friendship with him. He’s a brother to me, too.”
Her face was twisted in disgust as she stepped back out of the bedroom, dressed now. “You let me know when you get all that worked out. I’m gonna head back to my place.”
He could’ve gone after her. Could have tumbled her into bed and placated her until she was limp and sated. But she needed to feel what she felt, and he needed to do this. He was confident he could woo her all over again when it was done.
As the door to his loft shut behind her, he opened a browser to make travel plans to Tennessee.